Wanda Shum is a B.C. grown artist who was formally trained in Electronic Communication Design at the Emily Carr College of Art and Design. Since that time, she has been working successfully as an independent artist in a variety of media, and her work has gained recognition for its whimsical quality and attention to detail.
However,
for some time, Wanda's favourite medium has been polymer clay, which was a new
and exciting material in the media offerings when she first discovered it.
It has taken many years of exploration and experimentation to develop her
beautiful 'millefiori' techniques with polymer clay.
'Millefiori' or 'A Thousand Flowers' is a
traditional Venetian glass art form that involves the formation of a cane-like
sculpture with fused glass rods that has a pattern throughout. The modern
version of this is created by layering different coloured polymer clays
together. Then the cane is sliced to reveal the design within. Wanda
describes 'millefiori' as a combination of painterly skills with sculpting
technique.
Since
her initial experimental work, which began over twenty years ago, Wanda has
explored and developed multitudes of unique, intricate, and complex polymer
clay patterns - no two ever being exactly alike. Her distinct detailed technique can be seen in lines
of multicoloured jewellery, glassware, and unique home decor pieces.
